Controversy has erupted in Egypt over a new Netflix series which depicts legendary Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, as black.
An Egyptian lawyer has filed a complaint against the series, saying that it seeks to erase Egyptian identity.
Zahi Hawass, a former cabinet minister and well-known Egyptologist, was quoted as saying: ‘This is completely fake. Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was light-skinned, not black. Netflix is trying to provoke confusion by spreading false and deceptive facts that the origin of the Egyptian civilisation is black.’
However, people linked to the production of the series were defiant. The actress playing Cleopatra, Adele James, said that if people didn’t like the casting choices they did not have to watch the show.
Jada Pinkett Smith, a well-known American actress, who is also producing and narrating the show, said: ‘We don’t often get to see or hear stories about black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community to be able to know those stories because there are tons of them!’
Although there is debate around Cleopatra’s origins, most historians believe she would probably be what modern people would consider Greek.
[Image: Most likely a posthumously painted portrait of Cleopatra with red hair and her distinct facial features, wearing a royal diadem and pearl-studded hairpins, from Roman Herculaneum, Italy, 1st century AD. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra#/media/File:Retrato_femenino_(26771127162).jpg]